alternator

[djkow]

my system is beginning to take a toll on my alternator and battery...so i was wondering about getting a "stronger" alternator. is there any alternators from other models/cars that would fit the stock brackets of a 3rd gen camry?

[lankanprince]

Why dont you go to an alternator shop and ask them to rewire your current alt with more amps...
i did that and now i have a good 140 amp alt

[EKam]

I was told by a mechanic if you have have a rewired alt. with bigger output it will rob more horsepower from your engine.

[Stealth]

mostly true but not entirely i don't think
ive heard of rewinding them, i dont think that does makes you lose HP but if you get an alternator with a diff size pulley/wheel or whatever then i think it would? maybe i'm just stupid and have no idea what i was talking about

[5Sfte]

Would a capacitor be a good solution here?

[TRDragoon]

i would recomand you to get another battery in your car or get a better CCA battery....

fooling around with alternator can also damage other internal accessory in your car...

on a alternator, theres always Voltage regulator, which keeps the alternator to keep charging a constant 14 Volts. so changing the pulley/revving engine higher does not effect the performance.
you won't drop any HP either.

but by getting a higher CCA battery, you'll hold more Amp in the battery.

[djkow]

Originally posted by 5Sfte
Would a capacitor be a good solution here?

i was told that would put more stress on the battery

for those of you that had your alt rewired how much did it cost?

well if i find another alternator with the same size bracket, pulley's etc, then it should not affect my internals and things too bad correct?

[90CamryDx3SFE]

Originally posted by djkow
i was told that would put more stress on the battery

for those of you that had your alt rewired how much did it cost?

well if i find another alternator with the same size bracket, pulley's etc, then it should not affect my internals and things too bad correct?

My father always said that Generator Joe always said when it comes to changing an alternator... "If you change the alternator, you better change the regulator too."

I dunno, just a small tip of advice.
A friend of mine blew his alternator on a 1967 Le Mans because he didn't replace the VR. Then he blew the VR afterwards. Cost him alot of extra monies.

[5Sfte]

Originally posted by djkow
i was told that would put more stress on the battery

How is that possible? A capacitor does not place a load on the battery. It builds up a charge and holds it until voltage drops and then releases its charge to keep voltage more steady during fluctuations. When voltage picks back up, it recharges and the cycle starts again.

[Tercel GTS]

I build alternators for a living so let me answer some of these questions...


1. Capacitors help the system, the more and bigger you can afford, go for it!

2. Second battery harms the system more than helps. Each battery takes 10 amps at best to charge, so if you had 10 batteries, you'd have a constant minimum output of 100 amps. 1 large high reserve battery is plenty.

3. When the japanese build an alternator it IS maxxed out. If the japanese want something more powerful, they make it bigger. Later model same family engines have larger alternators normally, this is where the "rewind" comes from. It's made like your old unit, parts in same places, but a tad bigger.

4. High amp alternators DO rob a little HP, but so does having the radio antenna extended. If you're really THAT worried about 1-3 hp then why would you have a fat stereo weighing the car down?

5. Larger pulleys will get the hp back, on the downside the alternator may not turn fast enough to charge at idle.

6. Smaller pulleys will not make your alternator overall output increase, only makes a difference at idle.


If you want a 'boro' method of increasing the output I can make a diagram of a ford regulator setup to run the NipponDenso alternators you already have. The ford system supplies a far stronger field signal, therefore increasing the amperage output, but not the voltage. Ford style regulators ARE available in adjustable voltage also. A 90amp ND will have an output as high as 120amps with this swap, however it doesn't turn the battery light off on the dash. A 120amp ND will go as high as 180.

If you want more than that I can build a delco alternator that after modding will replace many ND alternators with a 200-250amp output. 1.5 liter minimum recommended engine for that, shuts 1.3's off.

Last thing, all toyotas have had the voltage regulator built INSIDE the alternator since the mid 80's